The male bear, a 70-kilogram juvenile between 18 and 24 months old, was carried into a portable container and transported to a wooded area outside the city.

The NCC said it didn't know from which direction the bear had come, or how it apparently made it into the heart of the city before it was spotted.

Roads reopened shortly after the bear was removed.

A bear that was tranquilized in a tree in Ottawa's downtown ByWard Market was lowered to the ground with a rope and placed in a cage to be taken away. (Christian Milette/Radio-Canada)

On Thursday afternoon the NCC confirmed the bear had been tagged and released in "excellent shape."

The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BywardBear?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BywardBear</a> was in excellent shape when he was released. He’s now in the Lanark area forest. The juvenile male of about 70 kg now wears a yellow earring to identify him in case he is recaptured. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ottnews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottawa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ottawa</a> <a href="https://t.co/VpfDBw3SW6">pic.twitter.com/VpfDBw3SW6</a>